The above image was made with stable diffusion using the prompt 'syringe injecting an ear of corn.'
Bioengineering could benefit our species immensely. Instead, we're accidentally starting pandemics with bioweapons research. And we've contaminated much of our food supply with genetically engineered crops, with regulators consistently ignoring legitimate safety concerns. GMO foods may be causing widespread health problems on their own. But most genetic modifications are done to improve a plant's pesticide tolerance, so GMO crops sharply increase pesticide use. Have any illnesses become more prevalent since the mid-late 1990s, when GMO foods containing pesticide residues became commonplace?
US regulators have been fully captured by chemical companies and Big Food. Not every country is playing along. Countries that have banned GMOs include: France, Germany, Austria, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Poland, Denmark, Malta, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Algeria, Madagascar, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia, Belize, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Despite US attempts to sabotage the process, Mexico is banning GMO corn by 2024 and looking at banning glyphosate as well.
From the Non GMO Project website:
Since the first genetically modified corn was released in 1996, another 243 distinct varieties of GMO corn have been created. In 2022, GMO corn made up an estimated 93% of the corn planted in the U.S., occupying more than 86 million acres. ... The most common traits engineered into genetically modified corn are herbicide tolerance and insect resistance. Herbicide-tolerant (HT) corn is immune to weedkillers such as glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. Farmers who grow HT corn can spray Roundup directly on their crops without harming the corn. HT crops have led to a 15-fold increase in herbicide use and contributed to the rise of herbicide-resistant weeds. Corn that is modified for insect resistance is known as "Bt corn," after the toxin Bacillus thuringiensis. Bt corn produces insecticide in every cell in the corn plant, poisoning insect pests that eat the corn. Because the insecticide is inside the cells, it can’t be washed away. More than 87% of corn grown in North America is genetically modified "stacked" trait varieties that carry both HT and Bt traits.
Organic alternatives to chemical agriculture exist. All farming was organic, once upon a time. In theory, the whole world could switch to organic and we'd all be healthier for it. In practice, however, the situation is more complicated. Organic farming requires more land for the same yields. Yield per acre can be increased with special growing techniques, but these are labor intensive.
On the surface, organic agriculture is more expensive. But the underlying costs of chemical agriculture may change this equation. Glyphosate, an herbicide that probably causes cancer, basically saturates the US. The overall healthcare costs resulting from chemical agriculture are immense. And from an ethical standpoint, it seems like we should maybe try following a path that doesn't make us sick.
In the environment, pesticide use has ushered in an insect apocalypse, which is problematic because ecosystems depend on insects. The financial cost of the insect apocalypse is impossible to calculate. And killing off important lifeforms seems ethically bankrupt. Maybe we should stop doing this.
Built upon a foundation of GMO crops and pesticides is a horrifying 'conventional' meat and dairy industry. Standard industry practices are so disturbing that anyone who sees them would be grossed out. Activists continually try to expose the public to these gross realities of factory farms, but special laws called ag-gag laws make it illegal for them to do so.
Personally, I have been eating organic for years, since first realizing that eating organic made cluster headaches less likely. For the same reason, I avoid many additives, preservatives, and processed foods in general. I do eat meat, but very selectively. Fortunately, my neighborhood accommodates this restricted diet.
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